Thrifty Thursday: Budget Meals And Grocery Shopping

As the economy seems to be choking and food prices rising, lots of us are in panic mode. How do I make dinner with a grocery budget of well, virtually nothing?

My first piece of advice: Ignore all the pretty cookbooks. Seriously. You'll only be depressed when you realize you can't afford half the ingredients on the list for most of the recipes (trust me) Instead, google terms like "budget recipes" and "cheap dinners" to find other bloggers and websites with recipes that actually have ingredients you can afford. If you have to have a recipe book, try to stick to ones that are smaller, fundraiser related (like the ones many churches or organizations put out). These are more likely to have cheaper (and easier to find!) ingredients.

Next, take stock of your kitchen supplies. A good meat cutting knife, vegetable peeler, and paring knives are worth their weight in gold. If you don't own a crockpot or slow cooker, take advantage of the holiday sales to get one. I used to snicker at them until I realized how much money you could save owning one. If you can't afford one, or any other cooking supply, hit up your local Craigslist or Freecycle group in search of them. It may take you a few weeks, but you'll land one.

Some folks will disagree with me on this one, but fresh vegetables and fruit are not always better. Between higher produce prices, and the fact that most items don't store properly, you're generally better off grabbing frozen or canned. Most canned and frozen are generally fresher than what you buy in the produce department - think about how long it takes for the items to make it from the farm to the store to your kitchen! Whenever canned vegetables hit 3 cans for $1, or 1lb frozen bags are $1 or less, grab what you can afford and use before their expiration date arrives. Some exceptions are potatoes, celery, and carrots. Try to always keep these on hand.

Stalk the store circulars for meat sales, and learn what days they tend to mark down their meats. Some stores, Mondays are the best days for mark down meats because they are trying to get rid of what didn't sell on the weekend, but many others it's odd days such as Wednesday or Thursday. If you see a certain package of meat, but it's not cut the way you'd like (for instance, thin cut steaks you'd rather have in stir fry strips) simply ask. Almost every meat department will gladly cut or grind the meat for free! This will save you a step in your kitchen prep too, which is great on busy days. Almost any cut of meat can end up in your crock pot - even chicken legs and thighs! Even the cheaper cuts of steak can be turned into mouth watering beef stew.

You'll also want to stock up on spices. Often, Walgreens has a weekly coupon in their store circular for 2 containers of spices for $1. Grab ones like cumin, paprika, lemon pepper, parsley, basil, etc. These will go along way in stretching your food budget by making ho-hum meals turn into restaurant quality meals!

Other good budget stretchers are cans of Cream Of soups when they are on sale for 50 cents or less (Fred Meyer for instance has their Cream of Mushroom soups regular price at 50 cents this winter) or cans of Broth for under 50 cents. Bags of pasta that are 12-16 oz for 50 cents, and large cans or jars of tomato sauce for $1 or less are stock up items. Grab as many as you can afford that week and will use before the expiration date.

Learn to be creative and substitute whenever needed. Don't be afraid to make something without an ingredient!

Two cheap and easy side dishes:

Peel and quarter potatoes into mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil (bought at the dollar tree!) or whatever oil you have hand, sprinkle basil (or seasoning salt) and toss. Bake on a cookie sheet.

Potatoes really are a budget stretchers best friend. Peel and quarter potatoes, drizzle with oil, sprinkle spices and place into a crockpot. Cook on high 2 hours.

The most important thing of all is not to panic. Take advantage of coupons and sales to stock up on items your family uses. Many delicious, filling, and nutritious meals can be made for under $5 for a family of 4.